Night Swim (2024)
Movie · 2024 · Horror, Mystery · 1h 38m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.2/10 (188.4K ratings)
Tagline: Everything you fear is under the surface.
Forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, former baseball player Ray Waller moves into a new house with his wife and two children. He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for himself. However, a dark secret from the home's past soon unleashes a malevolent force that drags the family into the depths of inescapable terror.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 0.2/10
- IMDb: 4.7/10
- Letterboxd: 1.70/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 19%
- Metacritic: 43
- TMDB: 5.5/10
Director: Bryce McGuire
Production: Atomic Monster, Blumhouse Productions, Universal Pictures
Cast: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Nancy Lenehan, Ellie Araiza, Rahnuma Panthaky, Eddie Martinez, Jodi Long, Aivan Uttapa, Preston Galli, Elijah J. Roberts, Ben Sinclair, Ayazhan, Joziah Lagonoy, Liz Parkinson, Mike Avery, Eleanor Threatt, Bianca Diezmo, Paige Van Conant
Curator Review
Verdict: A high-concept haunted-house premise with a pool as the central threat, but the execution lands as generic, predictable, and more unintentionally funny than scary. It has a few effective images and a strong hook, yet the film never fully capitalizes on its own idea.
Best for: Viewers who enjoy slick studio horror with a simple, easy-to-summarize premise; Fans of PG-13 jump-scare horror looking for a low-commitment watch; Audiences curious about a so-bad-it’s-kinda-fun January release
Skip if: You want genuinely tense or inventive horror; You are tired of familiar Blumhouse-style scare beats; You prefer horror that builds atmosphere and character over premise-first gimmicks
Overview: Night Swim has one of those horror loglines that sounds like it should be an instant midnight-movie classic: an evil backyard pool with a family trapped in its orbit. The movie does get mileage out of that absurdly specific fear, and it occasionally finds a creepy visual or two in the waterlogged imagery.
Worth noting: But the film mostly plays like a polished assembly of familiar studio-horror parts. The scares are telegraphed, the mythology is thin, and the emotional material never quite deepens the central setup. Instead of escalating dread, it often settles for routine jolts and predictable beats.
Bottom line: What keeps it watchable is the premise itself and the cast’s effort to sell a story that wants to be more tragic than it is frightening. As a disposable January horror release, it’s competent enough; as a horror movie you actively seek out, it’s hard to recommend over better, stranger, or scarier options.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- NicoPico: Maybe peeing will kill it
- zoë rose bryant: feels like it was made in 2006 but sat on a shelf for 18 years
- James A. Janisse: Girl just open your eyes Marco Polo ain't that serious.
- jessica🐾: This is definitely a movie you release in January
- aaron: did anyone think about just never going in the pool?
Recommended similar titles:
- The Ring (2002 · Horror, Mystery · 1h 55m · PG-13 · Curator 3.6/10 (907.6K ratings))
A mainstream supernatural horror film that turns a single visual motif into sustained dread and atmosphere.
- Poltergeist (1982 · Horror · 1h 54m · PG · Curator 6.0/10 (558.7K ratings) · Where to watch: TCM)
Classic suburban-haunting horror with a family-centered setup and escalating domestic nightmare energy.
- The Conjuring (2013 · Horror, Thriller · 1h 52m · R · Curator 5.8/10 (2.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
A polished studio ghost story that balances family peril, haunted-house mechanics, and crowd-pleasing scares.
- The Others (2001 · Horror, Mystery, Thriller · 1h 41m · PG-13 · Curator 6.9/10 (955.1K ratings) · Where to watch: AMC+, Philo, Shudder)
For viewers who want a more elegant, mood-driven haunted-house mystery with strong atmosphere.
- A Quiet Place (2018 · Horror, Drama, Science Fiction · 1h 31m · PG-13 · Curator 6.5/10 (2.7M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential)
Shares the family-in-danger tension and high-concept horror efficiency, but with much sharper suspense craft.
- The Sixth Sense (1999 · Mystery, Thriller, Drama · 1h 47m · PG-13 · Curator 8.1/10 (2.4M ratings))
A mainstream supernatural mystery that uses grief, family, and the unseen to build real emotional weight.
- The Orphanage (2007 · Horror, Drama, Thriller · 1h 45m · R · Curator 6.5/10 (327.1K ratings))
A haunted-home story that leans into sorrow, memory, and eerie visual storytelling.
- The Babadook (2014 · Drama, Horror · 1h 34m · R · Curator 5.2/10 (1M ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, AMC+, Philo, Shudder, Sundance Now, MUBI)
For its blend of domestic stress, grief, and a supernatural threat rooted in emotional strain.
- The Shining (1980 · Horror, Thriller · 2h 24m · R · Curator 8.7/10 (4.1M ratings))
A benchmark for turning a familiar family space into a psychologically oppressive horror environment.
- Annabelle: Creation (2017 · Horror · 1h 50m · R · Curator 2.5/10 (557K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
A better example of glossy, accessible horror that knows how to stage menace in a domestic setting.
- The Amityville Horror (1979 · Horror · 1h 58m · R · Curator 1.2/10 (124.1K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo)
A foundational haunted-house film about a family moving into a home with a dark history.
- Sinister (2012 · Horror, Thriller, Mystery · 1h 50m · R · Curator 3.6/10 (989.5K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium)
A modern studio horror title that pairs a strong hook with a genuinely unsettling sense of doom.
Topics: supernatural horror, haunted house, family horror, suburban nightmare, water horror, jump scares, PG-13 horror, curse, January release, studio horror
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/night-swim/1072342
Night Swim (2024)
Movie · 2024 · Horror, Mystery · 1h 38m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 0.2/10 (188.4K ratings)
Everything you fear is under the surface.
Overview Forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, former baseball player Ray Waller moves into a new house with his wife and two children. He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for himself. However, a dark secret from the home's past soon unleashes a malevolent force that drags the family into the depths of inescapable terror.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.2/10
IMDb: 4.7/10
Letterboxd: 1.70/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 19%
Metacritic: 43
TMDB: 5.5/10
Production Atomic Monster, Blumhouse Productions, Universal Pictures
Cast Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Nancy Lenehan, Ellie Araiza, Rahnuma Panthaky, Eddie Martinez, Jodi Long, Aivan Uttapa, Preston Galli, Elijah J. Roberts, Ben Sinclair, Ayazhan, Joziah Lagonoy, Liz Parkinson, Mike Avery, Eleanor Threatt, Bianca Diezmo, Paige Van Conant
Curator Review
Verdict
A high-concept haunted-house premise with a pool as the central threat, but the execution lands as generic, predictable, and more unintentionally funny than scary. It has a few effective images and a strong hook, yet the film never fully capitalizes on its own idea.
Best for
Viewers who enjoy slick studio horror with a simple, easy-to-summarize premise
Fans of PG-13 jump-scare horror looking for a low-commitment watch
Audiences curious about a so-bad-it’s-kinda-fun January release
Skip if
You want genuinely tense or inventive horror
You are tired of familiar Blumhouse-style scare beats
You prefer horror that builds atmosphere and character over premise-first gimmicks
Overview
Night Swim has one of those horror loglines that sounds like it should be an instant midnight-movie classic: an evil backyard pool with a family trapped in its orbit. The movie does get mileage out of that absurdly specific fear, and it occasionally finds a creepy visual or two in the waterlogged imagery.
Worth noting
But the film mostly plays like a polished assembly of familiar studio-horror parts. The scares are telegraphed, the mythology is thin, and the emotional material never quite deepens the central setup. Instead of escalating dread, it often settles for routine jolts and predictable beats.
Bottom line
What keeps it watchable is the premise itself and the cast’s effort to sell a story that wants to be more tragic than it is frightening. As a disposable January horror release, it’s competent enough; as a horror movie you actively seek out, it’s hard to recommend over better, stranger, or scarier options.
Top Letterboxd reviews
NicoPico (2★) · 3399 likes
Maybe peeing will kill it
zoë rose bryant (2.5★) · 2925 likes
feels like it was made in 2006 but sat on a shelf for 18 years
James A. Janisse (2★) · 2257 likes
Girl just open your eyes Marco Polo ain't that serious.
jessica🐾 (2★) · 1906 likes
This is definitely a movie you release in January
aaron (2★) · 1741 likes
did anyone think about just never going in the pool?
Recommended similar titles
2002 · Horror, Mystery · 1h 55m · PG-13 · Curator 3.6/10 (907.6K ratings)
A mainstream supernatural horror film that turns a single visual motif into sustained dread and atmosphere.
1982 · Horror · 1h 54m · PG · Curator 6.0/10 (558.7K ratings) · Where to watch: TCM
Classic suburban-haunting horror with a family-centered setup and escalating domestic nightmare energy.
2013 · Horror, Thriller · 1h 52m · R · Curator 5.8/10 (2.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A polished studio ghost story that balances family peril, haunted-house mechanics, and crowd-pleasing scares.
2001 · Horror, Mystery, Thriller · 1h 41m · PG-13 · Curator 6.9/10 (955.1K ratings) · Where to watch: AMC+, Philo, Shudder
For viewers who want a more elegant, mood-driven haunted-house mystery with strong atmosphere.
2018 · Horror, Drama, Science Fiction · 1h 31m · PG-13 · Curator 6.5/10 (2.7M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Shares the family-in-danger tension and high-concept horror efficiency, but with much sharper suspense craft.
1999 · Mystery, Thriller, Drama · 1h 47m · PG-13 · Curator 8.1/10 (2.4M ratings)
A mainstream supernatural mystery that uses grief, family, and the unseen to build real emotional weight.
2007 · Horror, Drama, Thriller · 1h 45m · R · Curator 6.5/10 (327.1K ratings)
A haunted-home story that leans into sorrow, memory, and eerie visual storytelling.
2014 · Drama, Horror · 1h 34m · R · Curator 5.2/10 (1M ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu, AMC+, Philo, Shudder, Sundance Now, MUBI
For its blend of domestic stress, grief, and a supernatural threat rooted in emotional strain.
1980 · Horror, Thriller · 2h 24m · R · Curator 8.7/10 (4.1M ratings)
A benchmark for turning a familiar family space into a psychologically oppressive horror environment.
2017 · Horror · 1h 50m · R · Curator 2.5/10 (557K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A better example of glossy, accessible horror that knows how to stage menace in a domestic setting.
1979 · Horror · 1h 58m · R · Curator 1.2/10 (124.1K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo
A foundational haunted-house film about a family moving into a home with a dark history.
2012 · Horror, Thriller, Mystery · 1h 50m · R · Curator 3.6/10 (989.5K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium
A modern studio horror title that pairs a strong hook with a genuinely unsettling sense of doom.
Topics
supernatural horror, haunted house, family horror, suburban nightmare, water horror, jump scares, PG-13 horror, curse, January release, studio horror
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